Does the Malaysian education system promote creativity?

How do we define creativity? How do we ensure we are creative and the future generations are creative enough to withstand and propel our country into the unknowns of future? How can creativity be fostered? Is it possible to give exercises for creativity? A program? A system of education? Is creativity something that can be trained or taught?
What does our country need today? More novels, theories, scholarship or universities? They are certainly significant but I would also suggest that we need a totally different form of living, a way of facing the problems that plague our country? We need teachers, politicians, parents who are highly creative. We need people whose minds are not damaged. Who are alert, sensitive, who listen and watch both themselves and others?
One cannot disagree that the Malaysian education system is well provided and equally accessible. We have excellent network of schools providing primary and secondary education. Now our tertiary education sector is booming and lots of intellects are been imported. Rising number of foreign student flocking to our universities and colleges serves example for it. But the question remains, does it promote creativity. Well, I am against it for most part.
Creativity (or creativeness) is a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations between existing ideas or concepts. To achieve this objective we need to engage in the process of identifying problems and finding the best solutions to it. As it is a process, we need to emphasize on character development from the earliest stages. However, most primary schools do not do this. The primary and secondary school syllabi emphasizes on theory. Students engage in rote learning and memorization of facts which have little relevance in the real world. One can go on learning and by hearting but would still lack the necessity tenacity and foresight to solve real world problems and adjust to the ever changing demands of the job market.
The Malaysian government needs to consider course structures which give more importance to character development (industrial training) and less theory. Hence there would be more usable human intellect. The emphasis must not be in preparation for the exams but on enhancing and encouraging student to be more creative and outgoing. What is the use of Bahasa Malaysia as subject in university level? What can it add to a student’s level of creativity? These are subjects which should be taught at secondary or primary levels. Precious times are lost here and less of other more important curricula are less used.
I agree that memorization and to a certain extent rote learning is a necessary prerequisite for ones growth and education. Without "memorizing", one can never become a doctor, and without further "memorizing" to a certain extent, he or she will never qualify to be a "specialist". As well, without proper training and familiarity it would be dangerous to assume a doctors duty.
There needs to be opportunities to develop ones creativity- critical thinking and analytical skills. Memorization of facts and ability to think and analyze real world problems must go hand in hand. This will not be achieved through exams, text books or lecturers giving lengthy –most of the time boring- lecture, but with opportunities for growth of the intellectual mind and enhancement of one’s creative skills.
Subjects such as History are often treated with disdain and irrelevance, particularly by the students who view the "facts" and knowledge picked up from the subject is "useless". These subjects are critical in helping students enhance their critical thinking and analytical skills. The weakness in our education system with regards to these subjects is the angle from which these subjects are taught and examined, as well as the ability of the teachers to teach these subjects from an analytical perspective. To illustrate, History should be a subject about "Why's" instead of "What's". The examination questions should be asking "Why did Japan launch an invasion on Southeast Asia? Was the invasion inevitable?" instead of "When did Japan invade Malaysia and how many bicycles did they use?" Both answers will still require elements of memorising (remembering facts), but the former will actually require the student to think and apply the relevant facts.
One cannot disagree with the fact that Malaysian university course structures are not as rigorous and comprehensive as those in other developed countries. In other words the level and the quality of education are lower. Most students lack the broader subject content and hence limit the level of creativity. This is partly due to the fact the primary and secondary level syllabi are not advanced. Malaysian universities are not even in the top 100 in the world. Therefore, to develop a creative and challenging workforce, primary and secondary schools syllabi must be improved, so that in the later stages the students can be exposed to more rigorous and comprehensive courses as in the developed countries.
Malaysian education, system is not as advanced as it is in the developed countries like United States, UK etc. But certainly, it is improving and is better when compared to most countries in the region. As leaders cannot be produced, creativity is not something you can impart on someone. But it is a long process which should start from our homes and continue to universities and beyond.